Bedtime Stories

The other evening while putting my boys to bed and looking for a good bedtime story for them I found a website of slightly odd bedtime stories.  The boys really enjoy them and now ask for a new story from this website every night at bedtime.  I think Michael and I enjoy the zany stories as much as the boys do.  Check them out for yourself or try one out on your kids at bedtime.  Let me know what you think.

Status Update

It has been a while since I have posted anything.  So, here goes with what is happening in our neck of the woods.
Michael still has not found a permanent job.  He has worked some temporary jobs and had some promising interviews, but nothing yet.  He has heard back from the correctional facility in Lawton and is waiting on a copy of his DD214 (military discharge papers) to arrive in the mail so he can get it to the warden and have another interview.  Since Michael doesn't have a job, we still are living with a family here in Duncan.  We are so very ready to get our own place, but it all depends on Michael's employment.  It is very difficult to combine two families with different backgrounds and get along for very long under the same roof.
We were hoping to be able to get back down to Texas for Christmas, but, unless we have a Christmas miracle, we will not be going anywhere. *sniff sniff*
Please, continue to keep our family in your prayers that Michael will find employment and we will get our own home soon, and I will try better to keep the blog updated.

One of my friends has just started selling Scentsy. Please, visit her Scentsy blog for all your wickless candle needs.

Levi's 3rd Birthday

Levi turned three on Saturday, and we celebrated Sunday evening with cake and presents. He wanted a Spongebob cake, and this is my sad attempt to give a three year old boy what he wanted.

Levi tried very hard to blow his candles out all by himself. He succeeded at two of them,but the last one really didn't want to go out. Daddy ended up helping him, because he was starting to turn red blowing so hard.
We wish family had been there to celebrate with us, but we had a great time.

Bickerstaff Family Pictures 2009

I am so pleased with how our family pictures turned out. Stacie did an awesome job of capturing our personalities in her photography. I cannot wait until I get to hang all these awesome pictures on our wall. Now, I just have to figure out which ones are the best.

Michael and I haven't had couple pictures done since I was pregnant with Adam.

This is just one of many great pictures of Angela.

Levi definitely had the most personality come out in his pictures.

I am totally surprised that Adam's doe eyes didn't melt the camera like they melt my heart.

Hyrum's smile melts my heart like Adam's eyes.

Ben is growing up so quickly. He is so handsome and smart.

This is, sadly, the first professional picture that we have had of all the kids together. I couldn't have asked for a better one though.

Family Picture Preview

Stacie Eldredge took photographs of our family on Angela's birthday. You can see a preview of some of the pictures of the kids on her photography blog. Enjoy!!

Oklahoma Bickerstaffs

Well, it seems that we will be soon becoming the Oklahoma Bickerstaffs. We have decided to make a 3 hour move north of Arlington, TX into Duncan, OK. We know a great family, the Lims, up there that we have been friends with ever since Hyrum was born. Michael will have the opportunity to start a voice coaching career, but will need to find a steady job up there in the mean time to get us moved and settled. The cost of housing is amazingly less than it is here, and we will be able to raise our children outside of the big city. Neither Michael nor I grew up in a big city, and we really don't want our children to grow up in the city either. So, wish us luck that Michael is able to find work in Oklahoma soon, and I am going to need all the prayers I can get as I begin to pack up our house that we have been in for the last 4 1/2 years.

We went up to Oklahoma for an extra long Labor Day weekend. While up there, Michael had the opportunity to perform. I think he did a great job even though he doesn't agree. Here are some videos of Michael singing in Maysville, OK.

Angela's 1st Birthday

I cannot believe that my baby girl is already a year old. Where have the past 12 months gone?

Today, we celebrated Angela's first birthday. We had our family and personal photographs taken by a sister in our ward @ Veteran's Park. It was a beautiful morning for pictures. It wasn't too hot outside yet and it was nice and sunny. Though, by the time we were finished, it was getting hotter.

After pictures, we picked up Angela's cake from the grocery store. I usually make my own cakes, but we had gotten a coupon for a free 4x4 inch 1st birthday cake with the purchase of a 1/4 sheet or larger cake. So, we figured, what the heck. Angela had picked out a "Hello Kitty" cake earlier in the week, and it turned out very cute and girly.

We had our little family party in the afternoon. You can see us singing "Happy Birthday" to Angela and her first taste of birthday cake in the video. She really didn't know what to do with it at first, but then she just dove right on in. Enjoy!!

The First Day of School

School started this morning. My camera refused to save my pictures to memorialize the event. Sorry.

Ben started 3rd grade, and wouldn't even let me walk him to class. Hyrum started 1st grade and told me I could only walk him on the first day, but couldn't walk him from now on. Adam starts Pre-k 4 this afternoon.

It will be so quiet in my house since Angela and Levi will be napping. What will I do with myself for 2 1/2 quiet hours every afternoon? I am sure I will think of something.

Count down until school starts

We have two weeks until school starts, and we are gradually preparing for this big event. This week I have to go register Adam for Pre-K 4 which entails going to the pediatrician to get his shot records that have somehow disappeared from existence. Then, on Wednesday or Thursday, I have to take all of the kiddos and myself to the school to fill out paperwork, and fight with the boys to not run around the cafeteria while I am doing so. Hopefully, everything will run smoothly with that.

On Thursday evening, Ben has his last Cub Scout event for the summer. We are going to the Randol Mill water park to have a picnic dinner and lots of swimming fun for the whole family. This should be very exciting, and we are all looking forward to this event.

We have decided to buy school supplies for one child a week so we don't get wiped out by buying for three kids all in one lump sum. We bought most of Ben's supplies last Friday, and this week will be Hyrum's turn. He is very excited to get his school stuff and start first grade.

On Friday, we have a wedding reception to go to in the evening. A very good friend of ours from church is getting married Friday morning. She is probably one of the best single mothers that I have ever met, and I am so excited that she has found a great guy to take her to the Temple. I am going to be helping another friend of ours with the food for the reception.

I hope that our action packed week runs smoothly so that I don't get too stressed out as I am prone to do.

Oh, say, can you see...

Our family had the AWESOME opportunity this week to go to a Grand Prairie Air Hogs game. They are one of the minor league teams in our area. Michael, earlier this baseball season, auditioned, on a whim, to sing The Star Spangled Banner at one of the Air Hogs games. I was able to sneak a picture while I was supposed to be looking at the flag. We are so very pleased for his chance to be able to do this, and he is hoping to audition again next year.

With this opportunity, he was given tickets to the game for the whole family. The boys really enjoyed the game. They were rooting on the team with the best of them.

Most of the boys really liked the team mascot, Ace Bacon. Adam ran screaming whenever he was in close proximity, but liked watching him dance, from afar, during the game.

Best of all, the Air Hogs won against the Pensacola Pelicans, 8-6, after coming from behind with a grand slam in the last inning!!

I <3 Freecycle!

Freecycle has got to be one of the coolest things ever. It is a great way to get rid of your unwanted, but still good, things around your house. You can also get other people's unwanted, but still good, items that you want/need. It really helps to clear out your home, and at the same time help others clear out theirs. Especially since yard sales are a lot of work and not always prosperous.

I have been able to get rid of furniture, clothing, baby items, toys, etc. As well, I have been able to receive the same types of items. For example, shortly after Angela was born, I received a bag of baby girl clothing in great condition, and all I had to do was drive to pick it up. Today I was able to get this much needed dresser for Angela.

The spot on top will fit a changing table pad, and the opening on the bottom has a pull out rack to hang her little dresses on. It has a few scrapes to be touched up and needs some new drawer pulls, but, all in all, it is AWESOME!

I am so excited and grateful for Freecycle. If you haven't already, check it out. You never know what you will find or the lives that you will bless by sharing your unwanted things.

A friend of ours got a pool for the kids to play in our backyard. In the mornings, the back yard is completely shaded and it is not too hot out yet. The boys went absolutely crazy the first morning that they were able to play in it. It took Levi a few minutes to decide that it was okay to get in. Once he did, he was splashing all over the place.

Hyrum lost a lot of his inhibitions about water while playing in the shallow wading pool. It was fun to watch him let loose a little bit.

The pool is small for Ben, but it didn't keep him from enjoying the cool water on a hot day. He can turn pretty much anything into something fun.

Adam is also pretty timid around water, but he was a wild man in the new pool. I don't think he stopped squealing with excitement the whole time.

I had to drag the boys out of the water when their lips started turning blue. They would have played all day if I had let them. Now, every morning they ask if they can go play in their pool. I just wish they could have this much fun cleaning their bedroom.

Planting with Sis. Stover

Sherrell Stover came over on Thursday to have a fun activity with the kids. She brought flowers for them to plant in the front yard. They had lots of work ahead of them making a plot for the flowers. They had to dig up the grass, get out the rocks, and make holes for the flowers to go in.

After digging the holes, they put each of the flowers into the dirt. Adam really had fun covering the plants with soil after they were planted. Ben was the water carrier. He kept filling up the watering can and bringing it to the plot to make sure the soil was nice and moist for the flowers.

Hyrum really didn't like getting his hands dirty. Here he is helping dig some more holes for the smaller flowers after the marigolds were planted.

Levi really enjoyed digging in the dirt and getting all muddy. But, most of all, he loved getting cleaned up after all the work was done. Daddy was having a little too much fun washing the boys with the hose.

First Swim of the Summer

We had our first swim of the summer yesterday evening. It was a very hot day and the cool water really hit the spot. We are very thankful for a good friend in our ward that let us use her pool.

This was Angela's very first time swimming. She was very indifferent at first, but at least she wasn't unhappy with the experience. Later on she was reaching down to touch the water and smiling when Daddy sprinkled water on her head.

Cookies!

Last week we made oatmeal raisin cookies. I was supposed to be making laundry soap but cookies sounded much more fun. Hyrum was chosen to be my big helper this time. He got to pour the ingredients into the mixer and closely watch as everything got mixed all together. The cookies turned out perfectly, even though the afternoon was very hot. Especially with the oven on. Next time we will make them in the morning. After the cookies had cooled for a bit, we were able to do the best part of making cookies, the eating! I heard no complaints from anyone. Even Angela got to enjoy her very first cookie. I am thinking we might have another "Cookie Monster" on our hands.

School's Out!

We have survived another school year and all of the end of year awards ceremonies/graduations/parties that go along with it.

Adam graduated from PK-3 and is excited to be the third of our children to be in Mrs. Deloach's PK-4 class next year.

Hyrum graduated from Kindergarten and is so excited to be going to 1st grade next year. He actually has teachers asking to have him in their class next year.

Benjamin received a lot of awards some of which were A/B Honor Roll and Excellence in Music. Now on to all the summer activities!

End of Year Chaos

Today is the last Monday left of the school year. Today is also the beginning of a week of almost constant motion. This afternoon is Benjamin's 2nd grade awards ceremony. Tomorrow morning Angela has her 9 month check up closely followed by Adam's PK-3 graduation ceremony and party. Tomorrow evening I have a RS crafting group activity to make temple bags. Wednesday is Hyrum's kindergarten graduation as well as an early release day. Thursday is the last day of school and also an early release day. So basicly, I have to cram in a bunch of end of year activities into 4 days and still be able to keep laundry, dishes, and the house clean. This promises to be an interesting week. I will be posting pictures of graduations and awards later this week if all goes well.

Ben's Baptism

Ben was baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on May 2nd, 2009.  This was a very important step in his life and we are so pleased with him.

We are excitedly preparing and awaiting to arrival of family from Arizona coming next week for Ben's baptism.  We have not seen Dave, Katy, Hannah, Josie & Becky since 2006, and Becky and Josie have never been to Texas.  Since then, we have added 2 new members to our beautiful brood.  Also, it is just the motivation that I needed to free my sofa from the bondage of clean little boy clothing, and my kitchen floor from the battle it has lost against the boys' eating disasters.   Thank you to Dave & Katy's family and Becky for deciding to join us for this momentic family occasion!  We love you!

Benjamin had his baptismal interview with Bishop Black yesterday following our block of meetings.  Ben really enjoyed meeting with the bishop.  He has gotten the "all's clear" for baptism.  His baptism will be on May 2nd @ 4PM.  We are so excited for him, as is he.  

My GQ Boys

Angela's Easter Pictures

I am really missing my vehicle.  The Suburban broke down a week ago during Spring Break.  We have been trying a lot of different things to get it working properly, but nothing seems to be helping so far.  Michael missed a few days of work trying to fix it or taking it to a mechanic to be worked on.  I have been walking the kids to and from school when Michael has not been able to drive them in his pickup.  Though walking is nice, I would really like to be able to drive to the store, church, etc...  Hopefully, we will be able to figure this thing out soon.

We have been battling the stomach bug this week.  I am hoping that it has hit all the family members that it is planning on.  Hyrum was home from school on Monday and back to school on Tuesday, thankfully.  Michael was home from work on Tuesday and then he stayed home on Wednesday, as well, since I woke with a fever and achy all over.  There has been no sign of illness in Adam, Levi or Ben.  Hopefully, this is where it all ends.  Ben is planning on sleeping over at a friends house tomorrow night and would be devastated if we had to cancel or reschedule do to illness.

A Trip to the Zoo

The McGee and Bickerstaff kiddos checking out the giraffes at the Ft. Worth Zoo.  Angela and Levi were asleep in the stroller.

January Activities

January was a busy month for us.  The boys went back to school after the winter break.  So, it was back to getting up early and homework.  Ben brought home his end of semester report card on the 16th.  He received As in all of his subjects.  He also had a reading assessment and is reading at a 4th grade level 5 months into the school year and he is only in 2nd grade.  Hyrum is doing very well in Kindergarten.  He is advanced in his reading and loves to do his homework everyday.  We are very pleased with how well they are doing.   

They had a 4 day weekend at the end of the semester.  The weather was gorgeous, and we spent some time outside feeding ducks and playing at the park.  We have had some amazingly nice days for January, but that is what we get for living in Texas.  We had some winter freezes in January as well.  The first freeze was not enough to cancel school, but it did cause some problems around Arlington.  The ice weighed down the power line that is in our backyard and caused it to fall.  This caught our tree on fire and caused a power outage.  Thankfully, there was no damage to our home and we had great friends in our ward that let our family camp out in their home for the night.  The second ice storm actually caused a school closure last week, but most of the ice was melted by the end of the day.  Michael had to work on the ice day and slipped on some ice and bruised his elbow pretty badly.  Thankfully, nothing was broken and he is still able to work light duty.

Angela got her ears pierced.  Michael wasn't sure that he wanted to get them pierced, but I got them pierced anyways.  Once he saw how pretty they were he quickly changed his mind.  They really look great and add to already beautiful baby girl's charm.  Angela also started rolling over.  I put her down to play and she quickly rolls over to her tummy and kicks her feet to spin herself around.  The boys love getting down on the floor to play with her since she is lots more fun now.

We had a short but sweet visit from Grandma Debbie.  She has a conference for work in Dallas this week and came a day early to spend with us.  She is staying a day later as well to spend with Angie's family on her birthday.  Grandma flew in from Corpus Christie early Sunday morning and spent the day with us at home and church.  It was a really nice visit.  Our ward had planned a break the fast potluck that she was able to attend with us.  It is always nice when Grandma visits, but it was much too short for our liking.  We hope to be able to visit her and Waynepa this summer and go to the beach.

Happy 2009!

We had a pretty uneventful week after the chaos of Christmas.  We have been passing around a cold to everyone in the house.  It has gone from Levi to Adam to Hyrum to Angela and now I am starting get it as well.  Hopefully, Ben and Michael will be able to withstand it.

Angela turned 4 months old on Monday with her check-up on Wednesday.  She is now 11.6 pounds and 23 1/2 inches long.  The doctor's words exactly were, "She is perfect."  But we already knew that.  Angela did not enjoy her 2 immunizations that followed, and she was pretty fussy for the remainder of the day.

Ben stayed up to ring in the new year with Mommy and Daddy.  I think he was more awake at midnight than we were.  I know I was ready to go to bed at about 10:30.  We celebrated with some sparkling grape juice and a toast from Daddy.  When Michael announced that we were going to have a toast, the quick witted Ben responded " I love toast!"  We had a good laugh about that one.  Then it was off to bed.

We spent New Year's day at home with the family.  We always love it when Daddy has a day off of work.  Michael made breakfast for the family on my new electric griddle.  It was awesome and he loves to make breakfast for us.  We are looking forward to having church at 1PM this year so we can have breakfast meals together on Sunday mornings without the rush to get everyone out the door and early Sunday meetings.

I made a traditional Irish New Year's meal of corned beef and cabbage and for that southern good luck, black-eyed peas, for our family dinner.  The corned beef and black-eyed peas were a hit, but the boys were not to fond of the cabbage.

2008 was full of trials for our family, but full of many blessings as well.  Especially our newest family member, Angela Rose.  We are hoping for 2009 to be an even better year for our family.  We have a lot to look forward to this year with Ben turning 8 and being able to be baptized.

Happy New Year to everyone!